The Colombian government and FARC rebels signed a breakthrough agreement Wednesday on bringing justice for crimes committed during their half-century conflict.
Here are key points of the deal:
- The creation of special courts and a Peace Tribunal to try crimes related to the conflict.
- The new courts will have jurisdiction over all participants in the conflict, including government forces.
- The goal of the courts will be to prevent impunity for abuses committed during the war, contribute to reparations for victims, punish perpetrators and uncover the truth in a complex conflict that has drawn in government forces, leftist guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and drug traffickers.
- Once hostilities end, the government will extend an amnesty for all political and related crimes.
- Crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide and other grave violations will be excluded from the amnesty.
- Those who admit their crimes will get reduced sentences of five to eight years in relaxed detention conditions.
- Those who admit their crimes past a given deadline will get the same sentences, but in ordinary prisons.
. Those who do not admit their crimes will face full trials and sentences of up to 20 years.
- FARC fighters can only access the special courts once they have disarmed, which must begin within 60 days of the signing of a final peace accord.
